Xiaomi Mi TV Stick Review: The Perfect Fire TV Stick Alternative

Bottom line: The Mi TV Stick lowers the barrier to entry for Android Tv. It delivers reliable performance in day-to-day use and offers you entry to your whole favorite streaming providers. The remote allows you to easily invoke Google Assistant, and there's Chromecast built-in for casting content material from your cellphone. In short, the Mi TV Stick is the best Android Tv streaming dongle you'll find for beneath $50. Why you can belief Android Central Our professional reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating products and services so you'll be able to select the very best for you. Find out more about how we take a look at. Should you purchase it? Xiaomi is now setting its sights on the common 1080p model of the Fire TV Stick. That specific model is on the market for $40, which is what the Mi TV Stick will retail for as soon as it debuts in the U.S. The Mi TV Stick has the same fundamentals; you get an amazing remote, access to your favorite streaming services, full-fledged Android Tv interface, and dependable 1080p streaming efficiency.



We do not have particulars on when the Mi TV Stick can be available within the U.S., however with the Mi Box S formally obtainable in the country, Xiaomi ought to launch the product in the coming weeks. The Mi TV Stick is now out there in India for Flixy Brand ₹2,799 ($38 and is slated to launch in Europe for €39.Ninety nine ($45), so here is what you might want to learn about Xiaomi's newest Android Tv streaming answer, and whether it is smart to select up the Mi TV Stick over Amazon's Fire TV Stick. With dimensions of 92.Four x 30.2 x 15.2mm, the Mi TV Stick is a more compact model of the Fire TV Stick. There's a big Mi label on one facet, and the decrease portion of the dongle has a glossy end. You get a HDMI connector on the front, Micro-USB port on the aspect, and there is a Micro-USB to USB-A cable within the box together with a wall plug. You can power the dongle through a USB port on your Tv, and if you do not have one out there, you'll be able to plug it into the bundled energy adapter.



The Mi TV Stick costs the identical because the Fire TV Stick, however it runs Android Tv as a substitute. The most effective part about the Mi TV Stick is that it provides a full-fledged Android Tv experience. That provides it a distinct edge over the Chromecast, as you get a UI that lets you stream content material instantly as an alternative of relying on your cellphone. Android Tv additionally has an important choice of apps, and as it has Chromecast constructed-in, it works the same approach as an everyday Chromecast if you're seeking to cast content out of your cellphone. The Mi TV Stick is Xiaomi's take on the Fire TV Stick, and the very fact that you simply get Android Tv here makes it an enticing product. There aren't many budget Android Tv streaming merchandise from major manufacturers, and while the NVIDIA Shield Tv dominates this section, at $150 it prices almost four occasions as much as the Mi TV Stick.



I like Android Tv as a result of it's cleaner than what Amazon offers on its streaming products. Content is prominently highlighted on Fire Tv OS, Flixy Brand but over on Android Tv, the main target is on apps. Play Store has all the key streaming providers and some video games, and also you get more customizability when it comes to the house display. I generally favor a clear home screen, and with Android Tv you get the option to disable the "ribbons," the horizontally-scrolling checklist of content ideas from services you utilize regularly. The Mi TV Stick offers you easy access to all of your favorite streaming companies. HBO Max, Spotify, Twitch, and dozens extra from the Play Store. Coming to the hardware side of things, the Mi TV Stick is powered by a chipset that has 4 Cortex A53 cores, and you also get 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage for installing apps from the Play Store and storing native content material.



The dongle has Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, and that i didn't face any issues with Wi-Fi during my usage. There are zero points on the performance front, and also you get a fantastic distant. Xiaomi additionally bundles the identical distant as the 4K-enabled Mi Box S, and it's one of the best remotes you'll discover on a streaming box that prices lower than $50. The remote has a button for invoking Google Assistant, a D-pad for navigation, again, home, and menu buttons, quantity controls, and dedicated buttons for Netflix and Prime Video. I've used the first-gen Mi Box and the Mi Box S for several years, so I know what Xiaomi has to supply on this class. In day-to-day use, the Mi TV Stick is simply as fluid as the Mi Box S, and that's as a result of the hardware is practically an identical right here. The Mi Box S has 2GB of RAM, but it surely uses the identical chipset. While there was some lag initially on the Mi TV Stick, there was an out-of-the-field update that fastened the difficulty.